The One from Ravenclaw
by jemmaloveshp
Summary: Al Potter was leading a happy, simple life. But what happens when a mysterious girl comes into question? Will she change his life for better or worse? DISCLAIMER: I only own my OC in this story. The rest is from the genius mind of J.K. Rowling.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER:****I only own the characters that I've made up, the rest belong to J.K. Rowling.**

He noticed her walking down the hall. She was alone, walking with her head held high, not a care in the world. How he had not noticed her before, impossible. He had stopped walking and was staring after her, and he felt a nudge in his stomach.

"Al, you comin'?" He blinked a few times, and came to his senses.

"Yeah, just lost my train of thought." He looked down the hall again, and she was gone. The rest of the day his mind went wild with thoughts about _her._

_I must know her name. I wonder what house she's in. Definitely not Gryffindor. What grade is she in? Someone I know must know her. But how have I never noticed her? I mean, I've been here for five years. _

Soon classes ended and back down the hallway he saw her him and his friends walked. That's when he saw her again. Walking the opposite way.

_Ravenclaw. Maybe Lily knows her. She must since she knows everything._

"Al, something wrong?" He looked back at his friends and saw them all worried. He also saw his brother following his line of site, right towards the mysterious girl.

"Oooh. I know what's got him distracted." Al glared at him.

"James, stop." James continued on, ignoring him like always.

"Ya' know, she's pretty hot. Maybe Lily knows her. And then maybe, I'll ask her out." Their friends started backing up, knowing how the Potter boy's were when they fought.

"James, would you please stop? I just got distracted. I wasn't looking at her." James snickered.

"Well, she's gone know so I lost my chance. But maybe tomorrow." Al glared at him once again.

"Who's gone?" They're little sister, Lily, had just shown up, sensing a fight.

"Al has his eyes on a girl that I might ask out." Lily frowned at them.

"James, what girl. Maybe I know her." James snickered again and glanced at Al, who was looking over his shoulder at someone.

"Oh you know. Black hair, tall, laced up boots, hot." Lily raised her eyes, knowing who he was talking about.

"You mean Tara. Surprise surprise." James frowned.

"What?" Al looked back at his siblings.

"Well, it's just that she's the type of girl that you would go for, considering your past." James glared down at her.

"Considering my past? What's that mean?" Al tapped his friends and motioned for them to step back, as James was most likely going to be blasted backwards soon.

"Well, you always go for those girls, date 'em for a week or two, and then just dump them like you didn't even care about them. Happens with almost every girl you date."

"Well at least I've dated. Al's barely even had a crush on a girl. So if I want to go after her, I will." And with that, he turned and walked down the way the girl went.

**Hello readers! This is just a start to a story I might continue, so if you like, please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I've decided to upload a chapter a night for a few days for this story. I hope everyone reading enjoys, and remember to review, favorite, follow, whatever.**

**DISCLAIMER:**** I only own my OC character in this story. The rest belongs to J.K. Rowling.**

* * *

Al lay awake that night, thinking of the Ravenclaw girl. He remembered every flaw that he saw, every perfection.

_I haven't even met her and I think I'm in love._

That crazy thought went through his mind hundreds of times until he fell asleep.

* * *

As Al, James, and their friends walked down to the Great Hall, he watched every face that passed him. He knew she had to be somewhere, and he had to get to her before James. He searched for her charcoal black hair, her lace up boots, the glint of the Ravenclaw badge.

"Hey look, there's Tara." Al looked at where his brother was looking and saw her as he remembered. Perfection. He looked at James and saw him getting ready to go and introduce himself.

"James." Al always had a calm voice, but this one was filled with anxiousness.

"What Al? I'm just gonna introduce myself to my new girlfriend." Al's eyes flashed with anger.

"James, please don't." James snickered.

"What? You gonna stop me? S'not like you have the guts to go and talk to her yourself." He was right, Al didn't have the guts. But he didn't want James romancing her and then dumping her like every other girl.

Al looked back over to where she had been standing and saw she sat down on a ledge, rummaging through her bag for something.

"Now's my chance." James headed over to where she was sitting before Al could stop him.

"Need help looking for anything?" James asked, leaning against the wall next to her.

"Ah, James Potter. I bet a hero like you could so help me." James grinned.

"So you've heard of me? I mean, my dad did save the world and everything." She gave him a slight smile.

"Well pretty boy, it could also be your reputation of being a player." James frowned.

"I'm not a player, all the girls just love me. And you could be my number one." James gave a sly smile, eyes questioning.

"Any girl with half a brain would know to stay away. Now why don't you run along back to your girlfriends and leave me be?" James sighed.

"You're giving up a real good opportunity." She laughed.

"Yeah, you're a real catch." James huffed and left to return to his group.

"Turned me down. Bet she's already taken. You can have her Al." James turned on his heal and stormed the other way, away from the Great Hall.

Throughout the day, Al kept his eye out for the Ravenclaw girl. He noticed she didn't talk to anyone, but kept to herself. She didn't seem like she had a boyfriend, but he could be wrong on that. He spent every class thinking of what he could say to her, and how he would catch up to her to begin the conversation.

_James probably ruined my chances. If I could just get her somewhere alone from everyone. Could follow her and see where she goes. Nah, that's creepy. I want to come off as someone she wants to date, not run from._

He watched her for the rest of the day, until it was dinner. He waited outside the hall until he saw her walking down the corridor, a notebook in hand. She turned right and walked outside, not noticing him. He followed her, waiting for his chance. That's when he saw it. Her quill of sorts fell from her book. He ran over and picked it up, catching up with her.

"Hey! Uh hi. You um, dropped this." She turned and took the quill from him, nodding her thanks.

"I'm Albus by the way. Uh, Albus Potter." She laughed slightly, an annoyed look coming on to her face.

"Another Potter, huh? Did your brother set you up to this? Cause you can tell him to-" He stopped her mid sentence.

"No no. James didn't tell me to talk to you. I actually wanted to talk to you for a few days, but my brother had to be a git about me noticing you and asked you out." She smiled slightly, looking down.

"You noticed me a few days ago?" He nodded, feeling embarrassed.

"Well Potter, if you want to make a better impression, we could walk for a bit. Get to know each other." He nodded, wide eyed. She started walking again, motioning for him to follow.

"Not many guys notice me. Surprised a Potter noticed me. Two to add to it." He looked at his feet while he walked.

"Well, I don't know how I didn't notice you before. I mean you're so-" He stopped talking, getting sense of what he was saying.

"So what? Odd?" He shook his head.

"Then what?" He shrugged.

"Well, pretty, I guess." She looked over at him, dazed.

"I'm sorry. That was such a stupid thing to say." He put his hands in his pockets and looked back at his feet. She smiled.

"I've never gotten a compliment before. Just my dad telling me I'm a screw up." Al looked over again.

"Your dad called you a screw up? That's kinda messed up." She shrugged.

"Guess I'm used to it. My mom died when I was young. Don't remember her much. After she passed, my dad packed us up and moved us from the States to London. Things went downhill when I was eight. Dad lost his job. Resorted to drinking. I remember always seeing your family in the paper." She had looked over at him, studying his face.

"So what's your story? I mean, I know your parents story, like everyone else, but never heard of their kids lives." He looked around, seeing the setting sun over the lake.

"Well, I've got a brother, who've you met, and a younger sister, Lily. Grew up in a house in the outskirts of Godrics Hallow. My family is giant. Every Christmas we always get together and have a big party, so we're all pretty close." She looked down at her shoes.

"Guess your life has been a lot better than mine, huh?" He looked at her.

"Your life'll get better. My mum always says everything works out the way it's supposed to." She looked up.

"Never thought about it like that." He shrugged. They came to a big oak tree and sat down together at the base, looking at the setting sun.

"Since my mom died when I was young, I don't remember much about her. But I remember distantly when she would take me to this hill, over looking the ocean. It would always be sunset when she would take me. That's the best memory I have of her. Just wish I could remember more." Al looked at her glum face, and idea growing.

"Have you ever heard of a pensive?" She looked at him and nodded.

"Yeah. You put in a memory and you can view them over. Why?" He started to smile.

"Well, I can try and see if we can use one from Headmaster Tonks. My family knows her pretty well, and you can see the memories of your mum again." She smiled.

"I'm glad I let you walk with me Potter. Maybe not all of you are as dim as people say." He felt hurt, but then realized she was kidding.

"Well, we should head back. Dinner should be ending soon." He offered her a hand up, but she shook her head.

"I'm just going to stay here for a while. Write in my journal. See you around though, Potter." He smiled at her and started to walk away.

"Wait," He turned around and walked back towards her.

"What?"

"I never got your name." She smiled.

"Tara. Tara Langley."


	3. Chapter 3

**Hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Remember to review, favorite, follow, all that good stuff. :D**

**DISCLAIMER:**** I only own my OC, everything else is J.K. Rowling's.**

"So you, Al Potter, actually made friends with the girl that turned me down? How the bloody hell did _you_ accomplish that?" Al rolled his eyes.

"Maybe because your ego is so big she was suffocated by it? And why do you make it sound like I just completed an impossible feat?" James ignored him.

"Get me a date with her." Al looked astounded.

"Really? Your brother just told you he had a chance with a girl and you turn around and say you want her?" James waved him off.

"S'not like you had a chance with her anyway."

"I don't have a chance? What makes you say that?"

"Well, she's hot, and you're Al. From what Lily says, she's funny, and again, you're Al. And also-" Al stopped him.

"You're a git. You would seriously insult your brother and then ruin his chances by asking him to get a date with her for you?" James nodded excitedly.

"So you'll do it?" Al looked insulted.

"Go get another girl. She's mine."

* * *

Al walked up to the owlery with paper and quill in hand. When he arrived, he looked for an owl, then started to write.

_'Dear Mum and Dad,_

_Sorry I haven't written for a while, as I've been busy. School is doing good, but I can't wait for winter brake. I also have a favor to ask. I've made a new friend, but she needs to use a pensive. See, she lost her mother and wants to look back at the memories she has of her. I was thinking that you can ask Headmaster Tonks? It would be really nice if you could. And another thing, if James sends a letter asking for a favor for someone named Tara Langley, please ignore it as he's being a git._

_With love,_

_Al'_

He closed and sealed the letter and called down the owl. While he was tying the letter to the owls leg, he heard someone approaching.

"Hello, Al." James said, with his own letter in hand.

"James." The owl flew off with the letter, giving Al a jolt of energy.

"So you've written to mum and dad I see." Al narrowed his eyes.

"Yeah, I see you've done the same." James nodded and sent his owl off with the letter.

"Well, I have appointments to attend to. I'll see you later then."

_What is he up to? James never talks like that unless he's causing a disaster. _Al walked to the Great Hall, thinking about what his brother was up to.

"Al." He turned to see Tara walking towards him, not particularly happy.

"Hey Tara." She grabbed his arm and pulled him outside, all while attracting stares.

"Let's walk, shall we?" Al felt worried. James probably did something to tick her off.

"I thought you said you weren't talking to me for your brother." Al pulled his arm away.

"I wasn't. Did James say something to tick you off?" She crossed her arms, walking a little ahead and stopping.

"Look, I told you I wasn't going to go out with your brother and he pulled something like that? And I know you know what he did. You're his brother and everything."

"I really don't know." She rolled her eyes.

"Any idea I have about you Potter boys is true." She walked away, leaving his anger to grow.

He stormed up to the Gryffindor common room, rage spreading through him.

"What the bloody hell did you do!?" Al yelled finding James and pinning him up against the wall. Fear was in his eyes as he was pinned, fumbling and dropping his wand as it happened.

"Al-" He stopped as he saw his brothers face, and a grin came across his face.

"You haven't heard? Well little brother, this may be my greatest trick." Al's face contorted in confusion.

"See, if you let me down, I'll tell you what happened." Al let him go but pulled out his wand.

"It started after you went to sleep, the idea grew. I took dad's invisibility cloak that he gave you, and headed out. I knew the Ravenclaw password because of Lily, but what I didn't know was what room Tara was in." Al figured out where this was going.

"I started up the stairs to the dorms, when they turned into a slide. See, I knew how to get passed that. After checking almost all of the girls rooms, I finally found hers. I went in, and sat down, waiting until she awoke." Al closed his eyes.

"You're telling me, you broke multiple school rules just to sneak into her room?" James grinned.

"That's not all. See, no one told me she slept topless." That was the last thing he said before the world went black.

* * *

**I'm leaving here as a cliff hanger, but I'm gonna make the next chapter longer. Thanks for reading! :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**I hope everyone is enjoying this. I'm not sure how long this story is going to be at the moment, but, I hope you guys all like. Now, onto chapter 4!**

**DISCLAIMER:**** I only own my OC, everything else is J.K. Rowling's.**

_"You guys think he's okay?"_

_"Uh no. He's been out for like, three hours. Al hit him pretty hard."_

_"Maybe we should take him to the hospital wing?"_

_"Good idea. Someone grab his legs, I got his arms."_

James could feel himself being lifted up from the ground. He blinked his eyes groggily before going to move his head.

"Whoa he's awake guys!" He looked up to see his friend Jeff's face near him.

"You okay mate? Al punched you pretty hard. He's pretty pissed at what you told him." James blinked a few times, looking around. They had set him back down on the floor, where he sat up.

"Where is he?" Jeff looked around.

"Well, not here." James looked at him.

"Really? I thought he was helping me up." Jeff rolled his eyes.

"Your brain may be damaged, but your sarcasm isn't. Look, can you stand up? We're taking you to the hospital wing." James grabbed onto the side of a chair and pulled himself up.

"I don't need to go to the hospital wing, I'm fine." He straightened up and the world spun. A wave of nausea hit him and he sat on the side of the chair.

"You don't look okay. We're taking you there now, okay? You can take a punch, but Al might've given you a concussion." James looked at him.

"Al isn't that strong."

"Yeah, but the floor was. Now stand up." With the help of his friend, they walked the corridors and finally arrived at the hospital wing.

"What are you boys doing here so late?" It was Headmaster Tonks. She had been conversing with the nurse who ran over to help James when she saw him.

"His brother beat him up, Professor." Jeff said with a smirk on his face. Tonks smiled.

"Ah, these two boys have been doing that since Al was born. I hope he feels better soon." She smiled at James and walked out.

"You know Professor Tonks?" Jeff looked over at James, who was being checked up.

"Yeah, she's a family friend." James was checked and healed up, and they left, it only being an hour since they got there.

"What time is it?" Jeff looked at his watch.

"Around nine thirty. Why?"

"Still have time to give Al some payback for punching me."

"Uh, I think him punching you was payback for-" James stopped him.

"No. I will get revenge!" Jeff raised his eyebrows.

"Whatever James."

* * *

Al walked the halls to the Ravenclaw common room, ignoring the pain in his hand.

_I hit James so hard I hurt myself. Still, he deserved it. Mum and dad won't be too happy when they hear about that though._

He arrived at the door and said the password. The best thing about having Lily as their sister was the Potter boys had the password to get into the Ravenclaw common room. He went in and the Ravenclaws sitting in there looked at him.

"What do you want, Potter?" Al looked at them.

"Do any of you know where I can find Tara Langley?" They looked at each other.

"Why would we know? She doesn't talk to any of us. She might be at the library or something, so check there." Al huffed.

"Thanks for the help." He walked out, walking into Lily as he did.

"Al? Why were you just in-"

"Lily! Do you know where I can find Tara?"

"Langley?" she asked, confused.

"What other Tara would I be talking about?" She huffed.

"Not going into that conversation, but she usually sits by this tree by the lake. Check there." He grinned.

"Thanks." He ran down the corridor opposite the way he came from. He went passed the Great Hall, ignoring the fact that he hadn't eaten since breakfast. He ran the way that he had walked with her the previous night and slowed down when he saw her under the tree that sat by.

"Tara!" She looked up, surprised at first, but then went to stand up when she saw it was a Potter.

"Tara! Wait!." She stopped and turned to look at him.

"Here to ask if you can see me nude? I've gotten plenty of those questions today." He shook his head.

"Look, I'm here to say I am really, no, _extremely _sorry for what James did." She rolled her eyes and waved him off.

"Yeah yeah, just leave me alone, okay? I liked not being noticed." She turned to walk away but Al grabbed her arm.

"Look, can we just start over? I really wanted to have a good relationship with you but now James went and wrecked it and I'm sorry." She huffed and looked at him.

"Fine. Just do this for me, okay? Punch your brother the next time you see him." He grinned and held up his hand.

"Already done." She grinned and sat back down.

"I really thought that you helped him get him into my room." He looked uneasy.

"You weren't topless, like he said, were you?" She nodded.

"I had a bra on, but he's been saying that I was totally topless, isn't he." Al nodded.

"Next time I see him, I'm gonna punch him." Al laughed.

"Please do. And again I'm really sorry about that." She smiled.

"I know, you've said it a bunch of times." They talked for an hour more, before they got up and walked back to their common rooms. Al walked her to the Ravenclaw common room, taking her mind off of the people shouting obscene questions to her as they passed.

"I'm really glad I met you Al." He grinned.

"I'm glad I noticed you." She smiled and waved goodbye as she walked through the door. Al walked back to the common room happily, unaware of his passed out brother who would soon get revenge.

* * *

**Stay tuned for chapter five, and remember to review. :D**


	5. Chapter 5

He watched as she lent down, placing her head in the pensive. He stayed, waiting, even though he was missing lunch. She had told him not to wait up, but he wanted to stay. Five, ten, fifteen minutes passed. She moved, coming back up, tears in her eyes. She saw him still standing there and smiled.

"Thank you." She wiped her eyes but the tears kept coming. He pulled her into a hug, enjoying the feeling of being there for her. She sobbed into his shoulder, holding onto him. They stood there, embraced, until Headmaster Tonks came in.

"Oh hello. I thought you would have left by now. But please stay if you need more time." Tara jumped apart and wiped her eyes furiously.

"No. We were just leaving." She walked towards the door, Al following after her.

"Thank you, Professor." She headed out the doorway. Al nodded to her while passing her, giving a slight smile.

"Tara, are you okay?" She turned back towards him, tears welling in her eyes again.

"Can we go somewhere? Preferably where no Ravenclaws are?" He nodded, putting his arm around her.

"But really, are you okay?" She nodded.

"Yeah. It's just I haven't seen my mo-" Stopped, shaking while trying not to cry.

"Hey. I'm taking you somewhere we can be alone. We can talk then." She wiped her eyes again and took a deep breath. They walked up stairs, through corridors, until they stopped at a seemingly empty one. Al took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He opened them again and looked over at Tara. Her eyes were wide at the sight she was seeing. A door was appearing.

"It's the Room of Requirements. It's somewhere where no one will find us." She smiled and walked inside. He followed after her, the door disappearing after them.

* * *

James and his friends sat, looking over the map he stole from Al.

"Wait, there!" Jeff pointed to the two dots standing together. They watched as they disappeared.

"They're gone!" Dan turned to James.

"Is this thing fucked up or something? Bloody hell mate, you told us that we could get him today." James rolled his eyes.

"This is the floor that the Room of Requirements is on. They probably went into there." Jeff raised his eyebrows and grinned.

"Hmm. You don't think that he's- you know." James pushed his face the other way.

"Al is too, Al. He would never get a girl like that to do anything with him." Matt raised his eyebrows.

"They have gotten pretty close, especially since he punched you." James frowned.

"I told you not to mention that. But still, I bet he hasn't even kissed her, let alone boned her." Dan snickered.

"Shut up." James turned back to the map.

"If he is, then it's a better time to get him. Remember, we got to get something to blackmail him with." Matt wrinkled his forehead.

"I'm still not sure about this. If we take it too far, and you're dad finds out, he'll be pretty pissed." James rolled his eyes.

"My dad is harmless." Matt raised his eyebrows again.

"You're talking about the guy who took down the most powerful wizard in the world." Jamed huffed, bored.

"You're talking to a guy who doesn't care." Matt shook his head.

"If he or your mum finds out, it's your fault."

* * *

Al held her as they sat against the wall together. She looked up at him.

"Thank you." He looked at her, confused.

"What for?" She smiled and wiped her eyes.

"You gave me a better picture of my mom. I got to actually see her. And then, you sat here holding me, even though you're missing you're classes." He smiled.

"I've only missed my classes twice in the five years I've been here. I can miss a few more." She smiled again.

"I basically miss all of them." He frowned.

"Why?" She shrugged.

"I read the textbooks. I know all the spells and history. I show up for the tests and hand in the essays. The teachers don't even notice I'm not there." He looked over at her.

"I think people should start noticing you more. I think they would be glad they did." She looked up at him and smiled.

"Can I do something really crazy?" He looked at her, intrigued. She leaned up and pulled his face down to hers, and kissed him. He melted into her, putting his hands on her face. They pulled apart and smiled.

"Can I ask you something even crazier?" She looked at him puzzled.

"Can you be my girlfriend?" She looked away.

"What? If you don't want to, then that's totally fine. I mean-" She put her hand up and started to laugh.

"What?" She looked back at him. She stopped laughing and grinned.

"It's just, it's kind of cheesy, right? I mean, we spend time together, we kiss, and then we're dating." He looked away.

"Look, if you don't want to, that's fine." She smiled at him.

"I just thought it was cheesy. And I did say that we were dating, didn't I?" His eyes grew wide.

"So we are boyfriend and girlfriend?" She laughed.

"What, I'm not your first girlfriend, right?" He shook his head.

"I had two others in like, my second and third year. I'm not like my brother or anything, it's just, I'm not like my brother." She grinned.

"I'm happy that you aren't like your brother, otherwise I would have slapped you and walked away the second you came up to me." He grinned. She leaned into him, and kissed him again.

* * *

"Alright, if a teacher passes by, we say that this is a free period and that we're waiting for our friend to hang out." James was holding a camera in one hand, the maurderer's map in another. Matt, Dan, and Jeff nodded. They we're waiting for Tara and Al to come out of the Room of Requirement. They had all tried to get in, but something Al had thought made impossible for them to get in. They had been waiting for around 10 minutes, and waited another 20 until something happened.

"The door!" Matt whispered excitedly. James nodded, and they got into their designated spots for when this happened. The doors opened, and Al and Tara came out, hand in hand.

"Haha!" James shouted, taking multiple pictures. Al drew his wand and almost blasted him backwards before realizing who it was.

"James? What the bloody hell are you doing?" James grinned.

"Well, I was going to get something to blackmail you with, but before I do that, I might send these pictures to mum and dad." Al rolled his eyes.

"James, give me the camera." James grinned even wider and started walking backwards. Al looked at Tara and she looked furious.

"James Potter! Give us that camera or I'll punch you so hard you won't wake up until next week!" James laughed and walked away. Al ran after him, but was blasted backwards.

"Sorry mate. James told us to stop you." Dan looked really guilty as Tara ran to help him up.

"Fucking hell!" Al shouted, taken aback with himself, as he rarely cursed like that. He looked at Tara, who had helped him up.

"Well, might as well make the best of it. I'll meet you outside of the Great Hall before dinner." She turned and walked away, leaving the four boys to deal with their problem.

* * *

_'Dear Mum and Dad,_

_I hope you get this before Al or Lily writes. I've included a picture that Al wanted to send you two of him and his girlfriend that he has been hiding. I personally think you should embarrass him as much as possible, maybe come to the school and make him introduce her to you guys. I'll see you at Christmas in a few weeks._

_James'_

James snickered. He called down an owl and sent his letter out. He wanted to embarrass Al as much as possible for giving him a black eye. He walked back to the common room, quite proud of himself.

* * *

As Al walked to the Great Hall alone, he wondered what Tara had meant about making the best of what James was planning to do. He walked down the hall and saw Tara standing there, her hair cascading down one side of her head. She was wearing her same school clothes, but somehow looked extravagant_. _He walked towards her.

"So what did you mean by making the best of it?" She grinned and grabbed his hand. She put her arm entwined in his and pulled him into the Great Hall. They walked in together, Tara leading them straight passed James. People were staring, but she didn't care. When she got to her seat, she turned to Al and kissed him, in front of everyone.

"Hope you get that one on camera also, Potter!" She called to James, who had turned towards his friends. Al looked at her and raised his eyebrows.

"Just go with it." She turned, and sat down, where she was engulfed by five Ravenclaw girls. Al glanced at James, but sat down with his friends, who were all surprised that he actually got close to Tara, let alone kiss her.


	6. Chapter 6

He pulled her into the empty classroom, kissing her all the while. She sat on a desk and looked into his eyes. She smiled and grabbed his hair, pulling him in for another kiss.

"You know, I'm supposed to be in class." She laughed.

"You aren't going to be going to class much with me here." They grinned at each other and she pulled him in for another kiss. Al had gotten a letter from his mother saying how he should be responsible and keep on top of everything, and pay attention to what James was doing. He had asked his cousins to watch him, knowing they would do right by him.

"Now what I'm saying is that-" Lily walked in with her friends, obviously looking for a place to study as their classes were over. Al and Tara jumped apart from each other, going red in the face.

"Um hey Lily." She smirked and held the door open. Al grabbed Tara's hand and they ran out, giggling like little kids.

"Guess we should find somewhere more private" She said, backing him against a wall.

"I wish I could, but I can't miss my next class. I might get detention, then what would we do?" She smiled, but let him go, kissing him goodbye. She turned and walked down the corridor, heading towards her common room.

"Langley!" She turned, seeing James Potter running towards her. She rolled her eyes, but stayed where she was.

"What do you want, Potter?" He smirked, but continued.

"I wanted to say sorry. For being a git. I've been pretty mean to you and Al." She smiled.

"Thanks James, it means a lot. Now, what do you actually want?" He looked away.

"Why do you think I want something?" She raised her eyes.

"You're being nice to me." She scratched the back of his head.

"It's about Al, I was wondering if you could help?" Tara shook her head.

"You have to. I need to get a gift for him for Christmas and you've been hanging out with him a lot." She sighed.

"Fine." He grinned.

"There's a Hogsmead outing on Saturday. Can we look for something then?" She shook her head.

"My dad didn't sign my form. I can't." He shook his head.

"Not to worry. My dad found every secret passage in and out of this school. Plus I have an invisibility cloak. We'll be able to get you out." She grinned.

"Al was wondering where his map went. Do you have it?" James pulled it out of his back pocket and handed it to her.

"Give it to him when you see him. Thanks a lot." He ran down the way he came and Tara continued walking.

* * *

"Tara. So lovely to see you again my lady." Al held out his hand for her to take, which she accepted. He led her to their favorite spot under the tree near the lake. It had gotten colder out, so they were bundled up, but they enjoyed watching the sunset together.

"We should really be at dinner." He shrugged.

"I can get us dinner later from the kitchens. Of course, we would need to share the invisibility cloak." She pulled him in for a kiss.

"Well, wouldn't that mean you had one?" He pulled it out from his cloak, unfolding it. She grinned.

"Steal that from James?" He grinned and nodded.

"He asked me to give you this." She handed him his map, which he took and put in his pocket.

"You've been missing a lot of classes lately." He shrugged.

"You were right. Most of them are pointless. I show up for the important stuff and miss the rest." She leaned back.

"Yeah, but, people notice you." He put his arm around her.

"People have been noticing you also lately." She huffed.

"Because I'm with you. People notice you because you're a Potter." He shrugged.

"So? As long as I don't get into serious trouble I'm fine." She stood up.

"No, it's not fine. You need to go to class. You have potential for a future in whatever you want. With a name like that you can do anything!" He stood up and grabbed her hands.

"Tara, you have as much potential as I have. It's not about what you're social status, it's about who you are." She pulled her hands away.

"Yeah, but at least your father isn't a death eater!" Al looked taken back.

"What?" She nodded, crossing her arms.

"You have Harry Potter. You grew up in a great home. Two parents, two siblings, always encouraged. I would have killed for that. I had to grow up with a psychopathic left behind death eater who would tell me I was nothing. Always said Voldemort was still out there. Coming back to kill Harry Potter, and be the king again." She sat back down, defeated by her past.

"Tara. Just because your dad was a death eater doesn't mean you are." She shrugged.

"That's like saying just because your dad was great doesn't mean you are." He shrugged and sat next to her.

"Well, I'm not going to grow up and be my dad. Just like you aren't. You're not a death eater, you're not bad, and you're a great witch." She leaned into him.

"Can I meet your parents?" He looked at her.

"Why?" She shrugged.

"I don't know. I want to meet your family. They seem nice." she slightly grinned up at him.

"Sure. How about, you come home with me for Christmas? Stay at my place?" She sat up.

"Seriously? I wouldn't need to go home?" He nodded.

"I'll tell my parents tonight that you're staying with us." She hugged him.

"Thank you." He pulled her in for another kiss, making them both smile.

"We should probably catch the end of dinner."

"Or we could stay here."

"I like that idea."

* * *

**I hope everyone enjoys. There will be another chapter posted soon. -Jemma**


	7. Chapter 7

"Alright, do we have anyone coming from that way?"

"Nope, we're all good. Just gotta get you through and get to the gates." Tara ducked under the cloak as the two Potter boys opened the passage way and let her through.

"See you in a few." They ran back towards the Entrance Hall, making sure they put the map away and didn't look suspicious. They got through the gates and walked to Hogsmead, meeting Tara within minutes.

"Where to first?" She asked, glancing at James.

"Actually, I have some places to go, so even though you hate him, hang out with James." He kissed her and left, walking to stores in the village.

"So what does Al like?"

"Books. Knowledge. Stuff like that." He rolled his eyes.

"No shit. I knew that. Where should we look?" She ignored his comment as they walked through the stores, until they found the perfect gift.

"A first edition Newton Scamander book. How about that?" James shrugged, and picked it up.

"What book is it?" Tara read the title.

"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. How much is it?" James read the price tag.

"500 galleons." Tara raised her eyes.

"Well, this is you're present." James shrugged and brought it to the register.

"Hello Mr. Potter, how are you today?" James nodded.

"I'm good. I want to buy this book. I think this is 500 galleons, correct?" The cashier nodded. James pulled a bag out of his pocket and looked inside.

"This should be 500. Thank you." The cashier nodded and handed him the book. Tara looked at him, wide eyed.

"You had 500 galleons on you?" He shrugged.

"That was some Christmas money to buy presents. Our parents give us each 1,500 galleons to go shopping when we're away. Whatever we have left is ours. It may seem like a lot but we get a lot but we spend most of it." She still looked astounded.

"What?"

"1,500 galleons? I have to steal the money I got from my dad. Your parents just give you that to go shopping." James shrugged.

"I can give you some money. Go shopping for your self, get some clothes or whatever." Tara shook her head.

"James, that's too generous. Thanks but no thanks." James held up his hands.

"Fine. Let's go find Al." Tara and James walked store to store in silence. They had finally found Al doing the same, looking for them.

"Hey. Did you get your presents?" Al nodded. James saw some of his friends so he left them alone to spend some time together.

"Your parents give you 1,500 galleons to go Christmas shopping." Al nodded and shrugged.

"Yeah. I guess James told you. It really isn't a lot." She rolled her eyes.

"Must be nice." He looked at her.

"What?"

"You guys just have money to spend like it's nothing." Al stopped.

"Just because we have money to spend doesn't mean we brag about it." She stopped and turned to him.

"I get that. But still. Wow." He grabbed her hand.

"Tara, do you want to go shopping?" She rolled her eyes.

"Like I told James, no."

"Why not?" She glanced at him.

"You don't need to waste your money on me." Al rolled his eyes.

"Lets just go look at stuff in the stores then. We won't buy anything, just look." She shrugged.

"Fine." They walked from store to store, looking at everything. Tara pointed out some things that she liked, which Al took note of. He didn't buy anything right then, bur he took note of things to come back to.

"Wow, Al look at this." She pointed out a stunning diamond and sapphire bracelet, the colorless diamonds being outlined by the blue sapphires on either side or them.

"Do you like it?" She shrugged.

"I like it but, as I said, you aren't spending money on me." She had gone and bought something for him with James, which he was holding on for her.

"All right. You should probably get back to the castle anyway. We need to head back soon." He walked her to the passage way, gave her the cloak and map, and saw her off. Soon after she left, he head throughout the stores, buying some presents for her, including the bracelet.

* * *

"So Tara, are you all packed?" Tara nodded, excited about two days from then. She would be spending her break at the Potter's house, not alone at the castle or with her father.

"The first thing I'm doing when I meet your parents is giving them a hug." Al laughed. His parents were fine with her staying with them, and she would be staying in Lily's room with her.

"I just hope my dad doesn't write. I don't think it would be a particularly happy letter." Al shrugged.

"My parents may be a little embarrassing. If they try to tell you any stories, just walk away."

"So Rose, where's Hugo?" The Potters and Weasleys sat in the same room, the train speeding past the country side.

"I don't know. He may be with his friends. I do know he is coming back." Tara had been getting used to the family. The girls had been talking to her non-stop all day, and James and Al were being their usual selves.

"Are you sure he got on the train? I mean, he almost missed it last year." Rose shrugged, her prefect badge shining on her chest.

"I'll find him. Be right back." She got up and left, leaving the Potters and Tara. They talked for a while, before Rose came back, assuring that Hugo had gotten on the train. They resumed their conversations, and by the time the train pulled up to the station, Tara was getting nervous.

"Got your stuff? Good. Let's go find mum and dad then. They stepped off the train, Tara looking for them. She immediately noticed and very handsome man and beautiful red head women looking at them and walking towards them.

"I guess that's them." Al nodded and led her towards them.

"Hello sweety. I've missed you so much!" Ginny Potter bent down and hugged her son, then looked towards Tara.

"You must be Tara. I'm so happy to meet you." She held out her hand, which Tara shook. She looked towards Harry, who grinned.

"Nice to see that my son has finally found a girl he likes. You can call me Harry." He held out his hand, and Tara shook it.

"Look, there's James and Lily. You too can go to the car, Al knows what it looks like. We'll meet you back there." Al led Tara through the crowd, feeling her tense up.

"Al, my dad is here." Al looked to where she was looking, seeing the man walking over to her, an angry smirk on his face.

"Looky here, I see someone has actually became friends with you. Why haven't you written, girl?" Tara, shrunk back, and Al could sense she was scared.

"Um, hello Mr. Langley. My name is Al Potter." Mr. Langley's eyes narrowed as he turned towards Al. He looked down at him as he talked.

"A Potter? I never realized that dirty inbreed was allowed to have mutts like you."

"Yeah, I was. Why are you bothering my kid again?" Harry shot back, pulling his wand out.

"Potter. The Dark Lord should have done a better job a of getting rid of you." Ginny pulled Al and Tara back, and Harry stepped in front of them.

"Are you threatening me?" He was node to nose with the man, his anger rising.

"I thought I was just here to pick up my daughter, but if she would like to hang out with your children, I guess I should just let her. I don't want to be responsible for her having an ingrate child." Harry snapped, an outburst of magic blasting the man backwards.

"Dad, stop." James ran forwards, grabbing his dad's arm. Harry turned towards Tara.

"Is he your father?" She nodded. He looked back.

"Sorry. I don't like when people insult my family." She nodded.

"He had it coming to him. Going around saying things like that, I expected it to happen sooner." She grinned at him.

"Thank you bye the way. You might have knocked some sense into him." Harry smiled and looked at Al.

"I like her." Ginny smiled and took her husbands hand. They led their kids to their car, attracting stares the whole way. When they got to the house, Al led Tara inside.

"Home sweet home. You'll be with Lily in her room." Tara looked around.

"It's beautiful here. You've lived here your whole life?" Al nodded. Lily walked in and nudged her.

"I'll show you where your staying." James and their parents walked inside, listening to him tell about a prank.

"So Al, how did you two meet?" Harry asked, helping James get out of trouble by making him stop talking.

"Ooh, yeah Al, why don't you tell that story?" Ginny narrowed her eyes.

"Just because you stopped talking doesn't mean you're out of trouble for doing that." James huffed, shutting up right away. Al told the story, and was half way through it before Tara and Lily came back down.

"Thank you for letting me stay with you for break. This house is beautiful." Ginny smiled.

"Thank you Tara. You are staying for the whole break right?" Tara nodded.

"Good. Now, everyone get ready. Grandma Weasley is having everyone over for dinner." James moaned.

"Why? We just got back home. And aren't we going there for Christmas?" Harry shook his head.

"We're heading to Bill and Fleur's for Christmas." Lily looked excited.

"Really? They live in New York though. When are we leaving?" Harry grinned.

"I knew you would be excited. We leave in two days. We'll be staying at our place there." Tara looked astounded.

"You have a house in New York? My mom was from their." Ginny smiled.

"It really is quite pretty there. My brother and his wife live in the city." Tara and Ginny started talking about that while Harry sent his kids to get dressed.

"So Tara, how has Al been treating you? Like a gentlemen I hope." Grandma Weasley glared at her grandson, ready to yell at him if he wasn't being good.

* * *

"He's very nice. He's just a big goofball half the time." Al went red and looked away.

"Al a goofball? Has the world gone mad?" Teddy Lupin and his fiance Victoire Weasley walked into the Burrow, making everyone jump up to greet them.

"Teddy! How nice to see you!" Tara had been introduced to them, and everyone took her in and welcomed her. The whole night itself had been fun, and she had really enjoyed Al's family. When the Potter's returned home, their parents went up to bed and the kids stayed up for a while, watching TV.

"So you guys use muggle things?" Lily nodded.

"Dad was raised by muggles. Not everything they have is awful." Tara smiled.

"You guys have pretty great parents." They nodded.

"They may be embarrassing, but they are pretty cool. If that makes sense." James said, confusing himself. Tara nodded. They chatted and watched TV before it was almost one in the morning, so they all went to sleep.

"I just wanted to say thank you again." Tara had stopped Al before the stairs. He smiled and kissed her.

"It really isn't a problem. After seeing what your dad was like today, I know it must be hard living with him." She nodded, looking away.

"Well, I better head up before Lily comes looking for me." He smiled at her and pulled her in for a kiss.

* * *

"Okay, we have to head to gate B to catch our flight." Harry pointed which way they had to go. They were taking a plane because their kids couldn't apparate yet, and because it was always a fun experience.

"So planes, they aren't scary, and they won't fall out of the sky?" Tara had been learning about them from the Potters all morning. She was fearful at first, but she got the gist that they weren't so scary.

"No. And we'll be in first class so it will be all comfy." Ginny and Harry led the kids to the gate, and soon enough they were boarding.

"I'm still not sure about these." Al grinned.

"What, afraid of the big bad plane?" She hit him lightly but grinned.

"Kind of. I mean, I was brought up thinking muggles were useless. This may just prove they are of some use." She had been amazed when the giant metal aircraft started to move, and soon, they were in the air. Throughout the whole trip, she looked out the window, watching the clouds, unable to see the water miles beneath her. The flight took 8 hours, but they had left in the morning and it was late afternoon when they arrived.

"I haven't been her for so long." Tara was looking around, before Al tapped her on the shoulder leading her to the car.

"Hello Mr. Potter, Mrs. Potter. I hope your plane trip was comfortable." The driver of the car they were getting into smiled at them, opening the doors. While the driver drove, the Potter family was telling Tara how much she would love it there.

"Our house is just a bit north of the city, but it is quite beautiful." Ginny said, thinking about the house.

"My mom lived in the city when she grew up. I never actually got to come here though." James grinned.

"Well, you're going to be quite busy. All of our family is going to be here." Within an hour, the car started to slow, pulling up to a quite large house. They all went inside, pulling their luggage along with them.

"Are we going to anywhere else today, mum?" Lily had been tired since she woke up early, and had not been able to get any sleep on the plane.

"No, we're here for the rest of the day." She nodded.

"Good. I'll be off, I'm taking a nap." Al showed Tara around the house, and brought her to one of the guest rooms that she would be staying in.

"Al, your family is so nice. I thought we would just be in England, but now we're in a different country." Al grinned.

"You get to meet the rest of our family tomorrow. And James will probably wake you up early because he's still a little kid on Christmas." She laughed.

"Thank you." He looked at her.

"How many times are you going to say that?" She smiled.

"As many times as I think I need to."

* * *

**I wrote a bit more in this chapter, but still, it isn't particularly long. I'm thinking about ending this story soon, since when I started it I didn't mean for it to be several chapters long. But, if people like it, then I'll keep writing. -Jemma**


End file.
